Portioning and dispensing device including adjustment means to vary the volume of the proportions



3,422,995 NG ADJUSTMENT PORTIONS 1969 P. CARPIGIANI PORTIONING AND DISPENSING DEVICE INCLUDI MEANS TO VAR-Y THE VOLUME OF THE PRO Filed Nov. 13, 1967 Sheet of 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEYs Jan. 21, 196% p, CARPlGlANl 3,422,995

PORTIONING AND DISPENSING DEV T INCLUDING ADJUSTMENT MEANS TO VARY THE VOLUME THE PROPORTIONS Filed Nov. 13, 1967' Sheet 3 or g CARP/GIANK BY y Poe-Rio ATTORNEYS 21, 1969 P. CARPiGIANI ,9

PORTIONING AND DISPENS DEVICE INCLUDING ADJUSTMENT MEANS TO VARY THE LUME OF THE PROPORTIONS Filed Nov. 13, 1967 Sheet 3 of 3 \i/ 7% 75. HF 7422 121 e; \y 772 n 2 x A INVENT OR PoERi CARPiGiANi ATTORNEYS United States Patent 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Multi-piston measuring and dispensing cock of the kind described in the US. Patent No. 3,149,756, wherein the abutment means limiting the return movement of the portioning piston with respect to the delivery piston are in the form of a stepped abutment member connected to the upper end of the rod of the portioning piston, and cooperates with a fixed abutment pin carried by the delivery piston.

This invention relates to an ice cream portioning and dispensing device and is an improvement in or modification of the device described and claimed in my Patent No. 3,149,756. In Patent No. 3,149,756 there is claimed an ice cream portioning and dispensing device comprising a cylinder having an ice cream inlet port in the side thereof and an ice cream outlet port at one end thereof, a delivery piston reciprocable in the cylinder and arranged to obturate the inlet port on the forward stroke thereof towards the outlet port and to open the inlet port, on the return stroke, a portioning piston co-axial with the delivery piston and carried by a piston rod slidably guided in the delivery piston for axial movement therewith and relative thereto through a friction coupling, said portioning piston being located in the cylinder between the delivery piston and the outlet port, abutment means arranged to co-operate with the portioning piston during the return movement of the delivery piston, thereby to form a portioning chamber between the portioning piston and the delivery piston to receive ice cream delivered from the inlet port and means arranged to connect the portioning chamber with the outlet port on the forward movement of the delivery piston and the following obturation of the inlet port by the delivery piston.

It is an object of the present invention to improve the multi-piston cock described in my prior patent No. 3,149,756 by providing same with means permitting to vary the space enclosed by the portioning chamber formed between the portioning and delivery pistons, so as to readily vary the amount of ice cream dispensed by the device.

According to the invention, there is provided an ice cream portioning and dispensing device as set forth above, wherein the abutment means limiting the return movement of the portioning piston with respect to the delivery piston are in the form of a stepped abutment member connected to the upper end of the rod of the portioning piston.

The said stepped abutment member is provided with at least two outwardly projecting, angularly offset abutment surfaces formed at different heights cooperating with a fixed abutment pin carried by the delivery piston.

By angularly adjusting the said abutment member with respect to the abutment pin of the delivery piston it is possible to adjust the height of the cylindrical portioning chamber, thus varying the amount of ice cream delivered at each delivery stroke of the device.

In order the invention may be clearly understood, one embodiment thereof will now be described by way of ice example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURES l to 6 are axial vertical sections of one embodiment of a device according to the invention, in different working positions. 1

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG- URES 1 to 6.

FIGURE 8 is a transversal section of the device on line VIIIVIII of FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 6, the multi-piston cock comprises a cylinder or barrel 1 the bore of which comprises an upper section and a short counterbored section 101 having a larger diameter than the bore of the upper section of cylinder 1. The lower end of the lower section 101 is closed by a bottom 4 provided with an outlet port 5.

Within the upper section of the cylinder 1 two co-axial pistons 7 and 13 are slidably mounted with a tight fit. The lower piston 13, which is washer-like, is hereinafter referred to as a portioning piston and the upper piston 7, which has a length in excess of that of the cylinder 1, is hereinafter referred to as a delivery piston.

The delivery piston 7 comprises a lower cylindrical body provided with two axially spaced annular grooves housing the annular sealing rings 72, 172, and an upper rod section 73 formed by cutting a cylindrical segment away from said piston 7. The piston 7 is provided with an axial through bore 74, merging into a U shaped axial slit 75 formed in the rod section 73 of piston 7.

The upper end of rod section 73 is provided with a transversal slit 76 intersecting the slit 75, for connection to the pin of a connecting rod 9 driven by a suitable crank (not shown).

As above-mentioned the portioning piston 13 is very thin or washer-like and is provided on the underside thereof with downwardly projecting spacing members 113.

Piston 13 is provided with a cylindrical piston rod 14 which is slidable in the bore 74 of piston 7.

On the upper end of piston rod 14 a rod extension 8 is provided, which in the embodiment as shown, is formed with four incut flattenings or splines 141, 142, 143, 144 all starting from a common plane at the upper end of piston rod 14 and extending upwardly along rod extension 8 for different distances. The upper ends of the said splines 141144 thus form a set of stepped abutments. An abutment pin 15 housed inside a radial bore of piston 7, projects inside bore 74 with one end so as to cooperate with the facing spline of rod extension 8.

An abutment pin 16, carried by a fixed part 17 of the machine frame (not shown) is provided, projecting radially inside slit 75, into the path of the piston rod extension 8.

The operation of the just described device is as follows:

Assuming the cock to be in the closed, or reset, position as shown in FIGURE 1, which corresponds to the position just after the delivery of portioned amounts of ice cream, by lifting the delivery piston 7 through crank and rod 9, also the underlying portioning piston 13 is entrained until the upper end of the rod extension 8 abuts against pin 16. This happens when the portioning piston 13 comes to be a little below the ice cream delivery port 2 (FIGURE 2). The piston 7 is further shifted upwards by rod 9, until it fully uncovers port 2, FIGURE 3, while the portioning piston 13 is maintained below said port, due to the abutment of pin 16 against rod extension 8. In the meantime, ice cream has fiown through port 2 into the chamber formed by the space between the portioning piston 13 and the delivery piston 7 and the ice cream by being injected under pressure has driven the portioning piston 13 downwardly until the projecting pin 15 abuts against the upper step of the spline 143 (FIGURE 4).

At this moment, the delivery piston 7 and the portioning piston 13 are driven together downwardly by rod 9, until piston 13 comes to rest with its spacing members .113 against the bottom 4 of cylinder 1 (FIGURE 5). By further driving the delivery piston 7 towards the now stationary piston 13, the ice cream contained therebetween is squeezed over the periphery and under the lower face of piston 13 into the shallow chamber 101 and through the outlet port 5 into the underlying container (not shown) until the delivery piston 7 comes into contact with the upper face of piston 13. Thus the cycle is completed.

For varying the amount of the dispensed ice cream, it should be proceeded in the following manner, having reference to FIGURE 6:

The abutment pin 16 is shifted outwardly, out of the path of the rod extension 8, and the piston 7 is allowed to slide upwardly inside cylinder 1 until pin 15 comes to be a little above cylinder I1. It is thus possible to urge radically outwardly pin 15, so as to permit to portioning piston to be rotated on its axis.

Thereafter, piston 13 is rotated so as to present another splining 141-144 in face of the abutment pin 15. The adjustment of piston 13 in the desired position is rendered more easy by the provision on the upper end of the rod extension 8 of suitable markings (see FIGURE 7) each corresponding to a different portioning. A suitable counter mark M is provided on the upper end of delivery piston 7.

Once set piston 13 in the desired angular position corresponding to the amount of ice cream which is desired to be delivered, the device is reassembled in its operative position so that pin 15 is again shifted inwardly into contact with the selected splining of rod extension 8, and piston 7 is again shifted into cylinder 1, until pin 16 comes again to be above the upper end of rod extension 8.

The dispensing cock is again ready for operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

.1. In a multi-piston measuring and dispensing cock comprising a cylinder having a main bore and a shallow counter bore of greater diameter at one end thereof, a closure member secured to said cylinder at the counterbored end thereof and having at least one dispensing port therethrough, a portioning rpiston slidable in said main bore and having an abutment on its side facing said closure member, the thickness of said piston and abutment being less than the depth of said counterbore, an axially disposed rod fixed to the side of said piston opposite said abut-ment, a delivery piston slidable in said main bore and having an axial bore slidably receiving said rod, means on said delivery piston at its end opposite said portioning piston for connection with reciprocal drive means for reciprocating both said portioning and delivery pistons, said cylinder having at least one inlet port opening into said main bore, first abutment means fixed relative to said cylinder and limiting the stroke of said portioning piston relative to said cylinder and second abutment means fixed relative to said delivery piston and limiting the stroke of said portioning piston relative to said delivery piston, so that the portioning piston is stopped on one side of said inlet port and said delivery piston can be moved beyond said inlet port and spaced from said portioning piston to define a measuring chamber therebetween and in communication with said inlet port, the improvement comprising said portioning piston rod being provided at its upper end with at least two out wardly projecting, angularly offset abutment surfaces formed at different heights on said piston rod, and cooperating with said second abutment means carried by said delivery piston, for defining measuring chambers of different heights.

2. A multi-piston cock according to claim 1, in which the upper end of the portioning 'piston rod is provided with markings corresponding to the different abutment surfaces, cooperating with a corresponding fixed countermarking provided on the upper end of the delivery piston.

3. A multi-piston cock according to claim :1, in which the piston rod is provided with splines of different height formed around its periphery, and the said second abutment means is formed by a pin projecting inside the axial bore of the delivery piston.

4. A multi-piston cock according to any one of the preceding claims, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WALTER SOB-IN, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.'R. 

